Display device formed of sheet material



Sept 1%, 1947. SMITH r 2,427,629

7 DISPLAY DEVICE! FORMED 0F SHEET MATERIAL I Filed Sept. 18, 1942 FIG. 2.

M 23) 20 //9 w r L iivwewtozs' EDWARD L. SMITH- /7 amd CHARLES WASSER'AM 3313M mm Patented Sept. 16, 1947 DISPLAY DEVICE FORMED OF SHEET MATERIAL Edward L. Smith, Tarrytown, N. Y., and Charles Wasseram, Layton, N. J.

Application September 18, 1942, Serial No, 458,802

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to display devices formed of sheet material and more particularly to a device of this general character which may be kept in fiat form so that a substantial number may be placed together in compact piles for storage or shipping, or which may be set up for use as a table tent, table favor, table place card, etc. In one of its embodiments the display device may represent an upright drinking glass or corresponding article resting on a dolly or a napkin.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and advantageous device of the general character specified.

Another object is to provide an article of the general character specified which may be quickly erected from flat to display position and the parts locked with minimum effort to maintain such arrangement.

Another object is to provide a device of the character described comprising a strip of sheet material having a transverse fold midway of its length, the parts on opposite sides of said fold when positioned back to back displaying front and rear views adjacent to said fold and remote therefrom base portions to be bent outwardly and constructed to cooperate with said upright portions to lock all parts in display positions.

A further object is to provide a device of the character specified in which the upright display portion comprises two matching uprights or layers of the sheet material arranged back to back and connected at their upper ends by a fold or hinge and two base portions extending outwardly from fold connections with the uprights, the base portions and the uprights having notch and edge connections whereby said base portions are held together, thus holding the uprights together at their bases.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear upon consideration of the following detailed description and the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the invention in erected condition ready for use;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating a position of the parts assumed in looking or unlocking the parts of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the finished display device IU of the illustrated form of the invention is made from a relatively long strip or blank H of suitable sheet material having a transverse dividing the blank ll into two parts l3 and I4, either one of which may be used as the front and the other as the back. These parts l3 and M may be of substantially the same outline so that their edges substantially coincide when the parts are folded back-to-back. The part I3 is divided into a display portion I5 and a base portion 46 by a fold or hinge I! and the part I4 is also divided into a display portion I8 and a base portion l9 by a fold or hinge 20. The base portions I6 and [9 may be turned outwardly to form a base. The positions of the folds may be determined by suitably scoring the sheet material.

In order to maintain the parts in fixed display positions, one of the base portions I6 and I9 may be locked to the display portion attached to the opposite base portion. This may be done by having the lower part of each display portion increase in width downwardly to provide downwardly and outwardly inclined edges 2| with the sides of the base portions l6 and I9 extending beyond the folds l1 and 20 and being separated from the display portions by downwardly and outwardly inclined cuts providing the inclined lower parts of edges 2|, and inclined edges 22 on the extended parts of the base portions, said edges 22 providing hooks or catches 23 for securing the parts together in the final form for use.

In order to bring the hooks or catches 23 at fold 20 into effective position, the base portion [9 may be lifted (Fig. 4) with reference to base portion l6 until there is reached a level at which the display portion I5 is of less width than the distance between the points of the hooks 23 on the base portion l9 and then the fold 20 and display portion l5 are brought together and the base portions are brought into substantially the same plane to provide the erected or finished form of display device I0 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

However, in order to assure the upright position of the display portion, the distance from fold l2 to fold 20 is made less than the distance from fold 12 to fold I! by substantially the thickness of the sheet material (see Fig. 3), so that the catches 2|] on base portion l9 naturally pass above the other catches and overlie the corresponding portions of base portion l6 and the catches 23 on base portion l6 support base portion l9 at the proper level.

The display devices of the present invention would ordinarily be stored or shipped in flat forms in suitable piles or packages. The complete blank would be so long as to be inconvenient to handle, store or ship. However, if doubled by folding along the folds 12, the display devices can be handled very conveniently, it being understood that in this flat form the base portions l6 and I9 are in the same planes as the corresponding display portions I and I8.

The use of a doily design for the base of the display device makes a particularly desirable appearance particularly in connection with a glass or cup, and a napkin for the base would produce equally good effects.

The device may be assembled or taken down without any noticeable delays and presents a very fine appearance.

Although a preferred form of the invention has been described it should be understood that the invention is of sufiicient breadth to include other arrangements in which the parts [3 and I4 are held together by cooperation between the side edges of the base of part [3 and the inside edges of rearwardly projecting parts of forms different from hooks 23.

i It should be understood that various changes may be made and that certain features may be used without others, without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A display device formed of a single piece of sheet material having substantially symmetrical parts on opposite sides of a central transverse fold, said symmetrical portions comprising at opposite sides of said central transverse fold display portions folded back to back and with their outer faces representing respectively the front and back of an object and base portions of greater width separated from the lower ends of the display portions by transverse folds so that the base portions may be turned outwardly to form a base and also by cuts having parts extending upwardly and inwardly from the ends of the last mentioned folds to provide pairs of hooks for each base portion enabling the lower ends of the display portions to be locked by engagement of the hooks of one pair with the base of the opposite display portion, said symmetrical portions being widened adjacent their lower ends and unlocking being efi'ected by lifting a base portion to bring its hooks opposite a narrower part of the symmetrical portion at the other side of the device.

2. A display device formed of a single piece of sheet material having substantially symmetrical parts on opposite sides of a central transverse fold, said symmetrical portions comprising at opposite sides of said central transverse fold display portions folded back to back and with their outer faces representing respectively the front and back of an object and base portions of greater width separated from the lower ends of the display portions by transverse folds, so that the base portions may be turned outwardly to form a base and also by cuts having parts extending upwardly and inwardly from the ends of the last mentioned folds to provide pairs of hooks for each base portion enabling the lower ends of the display portions to be locked by engagement of the hooks of one pair with the base of the opposite display portion, the fold at the ends of which the locking hooks are located being nearer to the central fold than the other base fold by substantially the thickness of the sheet material and the pair of idle hooks on one base portion extending beneath the other base portion to maintain it at the desired height.

EDWARD L. SMITH. CHARLES WASSERAM.

REFERENCES CITED ihe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,411,022 Heidenreich Mar. 28, 1922 1,592,196 Ganz July 13, 1926 2,007,791 Burns July 9, 1935 

